Pubdate: Sat, 01 Apr 2000 Source: Orange County Register (CA) Copyright: 2000 The Orange County Register Contact: P.O. Box 11626, Santa Ana, CA 92711 Fax: (714) 565-3657 Website: http://www.ocregister.com/ COLOMBIAN REBELS OPPOSE AID PACKAGE Leftist rebels in Colombia lobbied Friday against a controversial aid package moving through the U.S. Congress, inviting American legislators to visit them in the jungle. The rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, called for lawmakers to tour coca plantations and see how rural poverty underlies the South American country's booming cocaine trade. The statement said it would be more effective to legalize drugs. The U.S. House of Representatives approved a $1.7 billion emergency aid package Thursday aimed at helping Colombia regain control of the country's south, where the FARC taxes drug traffickers and peasants who grow coca plants. The Senate must still consider the plan. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D